Rhodes had long been bound to Mira, heart, soul, and future. No other woman could ever tempt him.
Still, Rhodes didn't dare make any bold declarations to the heavens. Not here. In this land, the sky had a habit of darkening without warning whenever someone tempted fate.
So, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what about your girlfriends? If they can't find you, they might show up at the guild and cause a scene."
"I'll explain it to them later," Loke replied with a lazy smirk. He had just set Lucy down, only to immediately lean against her side again.
"How about I just say I've met a woman I truly want to protect for the rest of my life?"
"Absolutely not!" Lucy flailed, horrified. "I don't want your fan club chasing me again! You can't stay long, just go!"
"That's settled then. I'll rest up in the Celestial Spirit World and visit again once I've recovered. See you!"
With a wave, Loke vanished into a swirl of golden stardust, returning to the astral world. After staying in the human world for three years and nearly fading from overexertion, he really did need a break.
Rhodes turned to Mira and offered the vacation voucher. "Want to move our trip up a bit?"
"Sure!" Mira nodded with visible excitement. "It's the middle of the month, and the renovations will be done in two days. We've earned a little getaway."
"You're all going?" Lucy lit up with joy. "I'm going to go grab Natsu!"
"Then we'll head home and pack," Rhodes said as he looped Mira's arm through his. "Master, we'll be off for a few days!"
"Take care, kids," Makarov chuckled, waving them off from the bar. "You've all been working so hard—go and enjoy yourselves."
With Rhodes, Mira, and Erza all going, he figured even if Natsu and Gray joined, there was little risk of a full-blown disaster.
The guild would be fine with… hmm…
Makarov raised a hand and began to count on his fingers. "Rhodes, Mira, Erza…"
His brow furrowed. Cold sweat formed at his temples.
"Wait. Wait a second. Didn't Loke say Erza's going too?!"
His eyes widened. The next moment, the old man toppled backward off the counter, shouting, "No! Wait—wait! I need to rethink this!"
...
There was no time to wait.
Rhodes had already dashed home, packed the essentials, and picked Mira up so they could meet the others.
Originally, the vacation was supposed to be just for the two of them, but now, with everyone joining, it was turning into a group trip.
Still, Rhodes had only one lingering concern. "I just hope Natsu doesn't cause a scene right when we're finally relaxing."
Mira gave a confident smile. "No worries. Isn't Erza going too?"
As if summoned by name, they ran into Erza just as they approached the station.
By the time they met up, Erza was already dressed for the occasion, sporting a bright floral shirt, a wide-brimmed sun hat, and a swimming ring snugly wrapped around her waist. Behind her was the signature luggage cart she never failed to bring on trips.
Stacked beneath the cart were several large suitcases, along with an odd assortment of items: blankets, parasols, folding chairs, and even beach shovels.
"You're a little too fired up, don't you think?" Rhodes stepped in for Lucy to voice the collective thought. "It takes hours just to get to the beach by train."
"Of course! A proper vacation deserves maximum preparation!" Erza declared, entirely serious. "Isn't that right, Mira?"
"Mm-hmm~" Mira beamed, offering no objections. "Erza's right. I wonder if those three are packed and ready yet."
Erza clenched a fist in determination. "This is an important matter. They'd better not drag their feet."
"Wait a second…" Rhodes narrowed his eyes. "Was that baiting them on purpose, Miss Demon Queen?"
"Me? I don't know what you mean." Mira tilted her head, her smile angelic as her eyes curved playfully.
Rhodes didn't press further. After all, if Natsu and Gray got tricked into showing up late and got smacked around by Erza as punishment—well, that was on them. Mira was innocent… technically.
...
Originally, Natsu had tried to snag a ride on the crab again, but Erza denied him on the spot.
"This is your punishment for being late," she said sternly. "Also, you need more train experience. Maybe someday you'll stop getting motion sick."
Happy wanted to protest, pointing out that their house was way outside Magnolia, so being late was totally normal. But since the punishment was only for Natsu and not him… he wisely kept quiet.
Gray couldn't be bothered to defend Natsu, and Lucy took the opportunity to poke Natsu's sulking face for fun.
"Wooo…" Natsu groaned, curled up and defeated.
With teasing, chatter, and mild chaos trailing behind them, the group finally arrived at their destination, Akane Beach.
It was mid-summer, peak tourist season, and the beach was buzzing with life. No wonder Rhodes couldn't buy any tickets earlier.
The endless stretch of deep blue ocean kissed the horizon, blending so seamlessly with the sky that it was hard to tell where sea ended and heaven began. Waves shimmered under the sunlight, and beach umbrellas dotted the shoreline like colorful blossoms in bloom.
Amidst the breathtaking scenery, the group walked toward the seaside hotel. With frequent backward glances at the gorgeous view, they stepped up to the front desk and exchanged their vacation vouchers for room keys.
After entering his room, Rhodes finally let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness the six tickets weren't for a single king-sized room. If that had happened, he would've grabbed Lucy's key on the spot and drag Leo out for a good beating.
Luckily, there were six rooms in total. With Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, and Lucy each claiming one, it left Rhodes naturally rooming with Mira.
That was the plan, anyway—until Mira promptly locked him out.
If it had just been the two of them on a private getaway, sharing a room would've been fine. But with so many people around? Mira was far too shy to go through with that. And why on earth did Happy get his own room? That little furball was bound to have suspicious ideas…
Rhodes had no choice but to return to his room alone. He changed into a floral-patterned shirt, a pair of shorts, and some flip-flops.
Stepping back out into the hallway, he realized it would've been faster to just use his Requip magic instead of changing manually.
Before long, Natsu burst out of his room in beach trunks, with Happy following excitedly behind. Gray, true to form, came out wearing… nothing at all.
Natsu cackled obnoxiously. "Hah! You're naked again!"
Rhodes groaned and smacked a hand to his forehead. "Here we go…"
But the moment Mira's door opened slightly, he reacted instantly—kicking Gray squarely back into his room.
"Get dressed before coming out! Seriously!"
Mira stepped into the hallway in a dark blue swimsuit. The upper half was formed of two slim pieces of cloth held together by silver rings, barely containing the pressure it struggled to hold. It looked like it could give out at any moment.
Her lower half wore a loosely tied wrap skirt that showed off her long, elegant legs with graceful confidence.
As soon as she appeared, Rhodes forgot how to breathe. His gaze locked on her and refused to budge.
Mira noticed, and seemed very pleased by it. She gave a slow, playful twirl, then leaned forward slightly, hands clasped behind her back, her lips curved in a teasing smile.
"Well? What do you think?"
What did he think?
Rhodes wanted to say, Please don't casually bust out your swimsuit modeling poses like that. Then again… part of him kind of wanted her to do it more often.
Caught between those two reactions, he finally gave a helpless grin and said, "You're so beautiful, I don't even know what words to use."
From the side, Natsu folded his arms behind his head and tilted his head. "Eh. Looks normal to me."
Rhodes didn't even bother responding.
Natsu understood nothing.